Twitter Claiming Title of Best Internet Marketing Tool
There are many ways for your business to get publicity on the internet and to reach the customers base who would be interested in your product. There are so many, in fact, that it can be difficult to determine which ones are golden and which one are garbage.
Facebook is the current standard for social media internet marketing, with numerous users, a well-developed platform, and a history of longevity. Recently, I have discussed how to utilize YouTube to get viewers back to your website and how Google Plus is taking strides in social networking. But one other social website is becoming the most unlikely of champions: Twitter.
Importance of Twitter
Twitter was in the forefront during the Occupy Wall Street protests, as well as protests for government overthrow in Egypt, Yemen, and Tunisia. The tweets coming from these movements allowed for instantaneous assessment of the situation, rather than waiting for the journalists and news stations to report on the issue eight hours later. Twitter helped mobilize these protests, allowing followers to work together and easily spread their message, despite obvious lacks of leadership.
And what does this do with advertising?
Well, from these movements and other daily happenings, it has become clear that having a Twitter account is becoming crucial. Twitter is becoming a source of news, gossip, social interaction, and is the leader in spreading information. It may even take the crown of social networking king from Facebook in the near future.
Is Facebook in Decline?
It is hard to say that Facebook is failing, because it’s clearly thriving, but Twitters dramatic rise in popularity during 2011 could signify a changing of the guard.
Facebook will need to ward off pressure from “posers” trying to take the throne, such as Google Plus, LinkedIn, and Pinterest, while maintaining relevancy, updating features, and not irritating users with spammy advertisements and unnecessary layout changes. Oops.
Part of Facebook’s decline is related to questionable business decisions and having to make changes on the fly to accommodate new crazes and technology; as opposed to systems like Google Plus where developers had the groundwork already created by Facebook and simply had to improve it.
But Twitter’s increased presence in the world cannot be ignored as a reason for Facebook’s decline, which is why some predict that Twitter could overtake Facebook in the next 3 years.
Advertising with Twitter
So what does Twitter offer in terms of advertising? How can the periodic release of 140 character messages, known as “tweets,” really help sell a product?
Honestly, it’s not all that complicated.
First, Twitter acts as an alternate identity for products and businesses. If you want to know what Ashton Kutcher feels about Occupy Wall Street, you can look at his Twitter account @aplusk and follow the hashtag thread #occupywallstreest. Instead of scouring a company website for recent news and deals, customers can simply find the links they seek via old Twitter posts.
Secondly, Twitter reaches out to customers. If someone is a fan of a product, whether or not they are a customer, they can follow that product on Twitter. Whenever that company tweets interesting news, the follower gets it directly. So instead of passive advertising, like watching TV or listening to the radio, there is an active attempt to reach new markets.
Lastly, the future for Twitter advertising is looking positive. In 2011, Twitter began using paid advertising to increase revenue. Instead of the firestorm that accompanied the same announcement from Facebook, there was relatively little backlash. In addition, 2012 will be the start of brand marketing homepages for Twitter, where companies can customize their Twitter accounts. All of these changes suggest a shift towards easier and better social media marketing opportunities.
Follow Trimark on Twitter @trimarkgroup